Barrow-by-Design: Shop Fronts

This Barrow-by-Design pilot project saw Art Gene Associates work collaboratively with Barrow Borough Council to produce low cost shop front upgrades through a grant scheme for small traders. Most of the individual grants awarded were for around £2000.

Informed by a thorough contextual overview as well as focused consultation with each proprietor, Art Gene evolved a design strategy appropriate to Barrow Borough Councils agenda, which aimed to raised the quality of the environment, encouraging emotional and economic investment in the high street and town centre environs.

Design consultation with each individual proprietor led to the generation of concept designs which responded to the uniqueness of each business; with the aim of increasing their economic potential and enhancing the wider streetscape. These were later modified to suit the available budget.

The aim was to seed a higher aspiration and confidence amongst the small-traders community and their clientele, ultimately contributing to the sustainability of the local economy.

Image gallery below:Maddi Nicholson and the Art Gene team working on the shop front regeneration of Bright Ideas, Cavendish Street, Barrow in Furness

More than 30 small business owners requested consultation with Art Gene to develop a design for their shopfront, and many of these have now been successfully completed. We will continue to update this page as the final shopfronts are installed over the coming months. Below are some examples of schemes completed to date. The positive impact of the designs have already been expressed by the proprietors, many of whom have reported increased business since the completion of their schemes.